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Sunday, June 18, 2006

COLUMN: GLOBALIZATION WORKS -- ON THE SOCCER FIELD

Critics of globalization should take a close look at the World Cup soccer games in Germany: They may be the best example of how an increasingly open world economy is helping emerging countries become stronger and more competitive. Small countries such as Trinidad and Tobago, Ecuador, and Ghana are doing well in the tournament, largely thanks to the fact that their team members are playing in Europe. Read the full column in The Miami Herald.

103 Comments:

Mr. Oppenheimer, your adversaries have never declared themselves anti-'globalization.' Nor would they base their policies on the success or failure of selected soccer teams. Even so, your metaphor falls a bit flat under closer examination.

For example, the underdog team thus far, Ecuador, seems to have just 2 players in Euro leagues. Ghana and Trinidad have maybe a couple more than that. (These 2 probably aren't advancing though.)

Nevermind all that, my attention was drawn to the quote about how this free market in soccer players has negatively affected the weaker teams (and countries). It should be no surprise. As with everything under market rules, the benefits to the those at the top and bottom are inveserly related. This is something that is cooly accepted by market liberals yourself. The 59% in poverty in Bolivia can't wait for an imaginary trickle down.

Meanwhile, in rural Ecuador the Cubans opened 2 opthamology hospitals this week. The Venezuelans offered to refine Ecuadorian oil at a a savings of $180 million. And for these sins (under the guise of the Occidental court decision) the US has suspended trade talks. So what is an Ecuadorian to think?

And a good leftist must also ask cheekily, what about world baseball, where Cuba, Japan and Korea did so well with (none and) few MLB players?

Sr Oppenheimer, I know what you are trying to get at, that it would then be good for the world's prosperous economies to allow in Hispanics. But just as "soccer globalization" has decimated former top soccer countries like Germany, similar "economic globalization" it would also decimate the USA economy. The Anglos can't babysit you Hispanics forever. It's time you Hispanics create your own successful countries and quit sneaking into other countries and forcing yourselves on them and robbing those societies blind of all their wealth and forcing your language and culture on them.

That is funny: One leftist rebukes Oppenheimer for that globalization ripps off the poor, one US redneck rebukes it for it rips off the rich. This only proves that globalization works: against stereotypes and bigotry of both sides. Only because of this, we have Cameroon, then Nigeria, then Senegal, then Ghana challenging for big wins. Only because of this, leagues in Europe are fun to see. It is not globalization that decimated the German soccer, by the way: it is the changes in post-industrial society, in which sports no longer one of few available options for getting on the top of social ladders, so many youngsters simply go and study rather then playing on the fields all the time like Brazilians keep playing on their beaches....

I would also point out that before the Bosman ruling, there was another critical year. In 1982 for the World Cup held in Spain, the number of teams playing in the cup went up from 16 to 24, adding spots for Central America and the Caribbean, Asia and Africa. First round play produced a series of shocking results, including host Spain almost losing to Honduras - escaping with a tie, powerful Germany losing to Argelia, and Camerun shocking eventual champion Italy. European clubs saw the quality of players from Africa and smaller countries ,and signed several, that in turn spurred players worldwide to aspire to play in Europe. The economic crisis in Latin America, had weakened soccer clubs, and many of the top players of the wonderful Brazilian and good Argentinian side went to to top clubs in Spain and Italy after the Cup.

I commented further on Mr. Oppenheimers piece here-http://bolicarreras.blogspot.com/2006/06/globalization-works-on-soccer.html

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About this blog

Miami Herald and El Nuevo Herald columnist Andres Oppenheimer, author of five best-sellers on Latin American affairs and whose syndicated column appears in 55 major U.S. and Latin American newspapers, comments on the latest events in Latin America and U.S.- Latin American affairs. He is a member of The Miami Herald team that won the 1987 Pulitzer Prize. He also won the 1999 Maria Moors Cabot Award, the 2001 King of Spain prize, and the 2005 Emmy Suncoast award. He is the author of Castro's Final Hour; Bordering on Chaos, on Mexico's crisis; Cronicas de heroes y bandidos and Ojos vendados, and most recently of "Cuentos Chinos" (Plaza & Janes, Mexico.) A new Oppenheimer Report appears every Sunday and Thursday.